APLDC book list (Part 1)

There's a book entitled, What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Evenmore Successful. Ever read it? Well, this book is about change. What interests me about this is it's title and how it applies to leadership skills. If you don't have the skills, then how do you get them? You get these new skills by continued learning.  Learn from mentors, learn from your experiences, and learn from books.  In this post I want to focus on the later part, learning from books.

Actually, I want to share a book list recommended by the Microsoft Library created last April for the 2009 Asian Pacific Leadership and Development Conference, a conference presented by the Microsoft Asian Professional Society (MAPS). Now I know almost a year has gone by and new books have been published since then, but it's a comprehensive list that I'm still going through and find the books still relevant. As soon as I'm completed with this list, I'll get to the newer books, perhaps a list created for the 2010 NAAAP National Convention happening later this year!  :)

• Reading Category | Book by Author
• Managing Change, Project Mgt | A Sense of Urgency by John P. Kotter
• Delegation, Leadership, Managing Change | Becoming an Extraordinary Manager: The 5 Essentials for Success by Leonard Sandler
• Leadership, Communication Skills | Beyond the Babble: Leadership Communication that Drives Results by Bob Matha, Macy Boehm and Marcia Silverman
• Multi-tasking | Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School by John Medina
• Career Growth, Communication Skills, Cultural Differences | Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling by Jane Hyun
• Conflict Mgt | Building Conflict Competent Teams by Craig E. Runde and Tim A. Flanagan
• Career Growth, Changing Perceptions | Stand Out by Building Your Brand by William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson
• Conflict Mgt, Cultural Differences | Conflict Across Cultures: A Unique Experience of Bridging Differences by Michelle LeBaron and Venashri Pillay
• Social Responsibility, Public Service, Economics | Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism by Muhammad Yunas
• Personality Types, Career Growth | Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Types by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron
• Emotional Intelligence | The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book: Everything You Need to Know to Put Your EQ to Work by Travis Bradberry, Jean Greaves, and Patrick Lencioni
• Cultural Differences | The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently ... and Why by Richard Nisbett
• Globalization, Leadership | Global Leadership: The Next Generation by Marshall Goldsmith, Cathy Greenberg, Alastair Robertson, and Maya Hu-chan
• Innovation, Secrets to Success | Grabbing Lightning: Building a Capability for Breakthrough Innovation by G. Colarelli O'Connor
• Distributed Teams, Cultural Differences | The Handbook of High-Performance Virtual Teams: A toolkit for Collaborating Across Boundaries by Jill Nemiro, Michael M. Beyerlein, Lori Bradley, and Susan Beyerlein
• Leadership, Secrets to Success | Hit the Ground Running: a Manual for new Leaders by Jason Jennings
• Social Responsibility, Public service | Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why we need a green revolution - and how it can renew America by Thomas L. Friedman
• Networking, Mentoring, Career Growth | How to Succeed in Business Using LinkedIn: Making Connections and Capturing Opportunities on the Web's #1 Business Networking Site by Eric Butow and Kathleen Taylor
• Economics, Globalization | Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation by Nandan Nilekani
• Globalization | India Arriving: How this Economic Powerhouse is Redefining Global Business by Rafiq Dossani

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Related post: APLDC book list (Part 2) - http://gilgido.blogspot.com/2010/04/apldc-book-list-part-2.html

Taking a L.E.A.P.

I first met JD in 2006 at a pre-conference workshop at Microsoft talking about being a 21st century leader. Then a few months later I attended his keynote at the inaugural Asian and Pacific Leadership Development Conference (APLDC). In 2007, I caught JD speaking at the National Association of Asian American Professionals Convention in Atlanta and then again at the kick-off of the Executive Development Institute 2008 Leadership development program in Bellevue, Washington. You're probably asking, "Why so many times? Right?" Well, JD speaks a lot (humorous). And on so many topics, especially when it comes to the Asian community. You can't find another person as passionate about the Asian Community and leadership as JD. In 2009 he deservedly received a NAAAP 100 award for being someone who exemplifies leadership, community engagement, and connects with professionals for mutual success.

For those of you who don't know J.D. Hokoyama, he is the President & CEO and a founding board member of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP). LEAP is a nationally renown company based in L.A. and is recognized by top companies as an expert on the Asian issues. For the last 28 years, J.D. has been committed to educating and inspiring the next generation of Asian leaders.

Now earlier this year, I saw JD speaking at the EDI Leadership Together Conference on taking risks and how early messages in Asian cultures can send messages that Asians aren't outspoken, don't take risks and aren't natural leaders. Here are a few of these messages: Respect your elders. Be polite. Do as you're told. Speak when spoken to. Work hard. Do any of these sound familiar?

JD says that being aware of these will help you learn to overcome those stereotypes. Of course, this won't apply to all people, but it's amazing how many in the session said that they were not viewed as outspoken. If you are one of these, take the first step and start talking in meetings, even if it is to say that you have a question. When it comes to who's gets remembered, it's the person talking.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Your Brand: Dressing for your next role

According to Vanna Novak, CEO of Speak to Persuade, "you only have 10 seconds to make that first impression and in a competitive situation, you will have even less time. Moreover, 55% of your impact as a communicator is attributed to your physical appearance as opposed to 7% in what you say. " Think about that the next time you present yourself at a meeting, conference or even at an interview. You might even ask yourself especially when you go to an interview, How do others perceive you? Well, with the help of my friends, Sonrose Festejo and Terry Jones, I was able to answer that question really easily. Both are individual stylists located at the Nordstrom flagship store in downtown Seattle.

                             Photomura Images Copyright 2010

My style is obviously business casual - very business casual. It's very rare for me to wear a jacket or suit and tie and I have to admit that after working with Sonrose and Terry, modifying my appearance was easy and stress-free. Just as some of you read this, I don't want to be prescriptive about what to wear as it'll depend on the work environment or situation you are in.  For me, as I go to fundraisers and client meetings, it's appropriate and even required to dress in a style that is more formal over business casual.

                                                           Photomura Images Copyright 2010

  

So my 3-hour appointment started with a needs assessment in addition to providing my shoe, shirt and pant sizes. Sonrose filled my dressing room with an assortment of styles ranging from business casual to interview styles readying me for my transformation. I took the experience as both educational and as an adventure. I didn't know what she would give me, but I was impressed.  There were suit jackets, slacks, shoes, mix and match ties, as well as a variety of easy care shirts. It took close to 2 hours to try on all of the items she presented.

  

                                                           Photomura Images Copyright 2010

When it came down to suits, Terry showed me the right length, fit and interchangability of the suit components with what Sonrose provided.  He distinguished for me fit over the size of a jacket, something I've always wondered about.  I actually brought in one of my jackets to get an insight on the size of it.  I thought it was too big and have never worn it for just that reason. Rather, after talking with Terry, it was just the right size, but the fit needed adjustment through alterations, like shortening the sleeves or taking in the waist.   Fit you can say is the personal touch that makes a jacket fit your frame.

                Photomura Images Copyright 2010

After all was said and done, I ended up with a brand that I felt be-fitting for my current and next roles. It was also a brand that I felt comfortable wearing as much as I do in business casual.

                                                           Photomura Images Copyright 2010

Thank you, Sonrose Festejo and Terry Jones of Nordstrom for your great service and a very special thanks to Julie Sotomura of Photomura Images for taking these fantastic photos, Rory Dufault for shoes and Lani for alterations.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Calling cards:
Sonrose Festejo Individualist and Special Occasion Department manager
Nordstrom Flagship | Downtown Seattle
500 Pine St. Suite 500, Seattle, Washington 98101
206-628-1230

Terry Jones All star Men's Clothing
Nordstrom Flagship | Downtown Seattle
500 Pine St. Suite 500, Seattle, Washington 98101
206-628-1220

Rory Dufault Men's Shoes
Nordstrom Flagship | Downtown Seattle
500 Pine St. Suite 500, Seattle, Washington 98101
206-628-1500

For nationwide Nordstrom Individual Stylist locations visit their website: https://secure.nordstrom.com/services/personal_touch.asp

2010 NAAAP National Leadership Retreat

 

Once a year all national and local leadership team members gather to create synergies that help fulfill the mission and vision of NAAAP and to develop networking opportunities and relationships with other leaders across North America. This year's retreat was hosted by NAAAP Connecticut and held at the Mohegan Sun hotel and casino in Uncasville, CT. Overall, I thought it was a well planned and attended event.  Thanks to Shane Carlin and Jessica Yang, the Retreat Directors responsible for planning the Retreat.

On Friday many people arrived for the networking reception with local Asian Community leaders in attendance like Representative Tony Hwang from the Connecticut State Representative for the 134th Assembly District; Honorable Judge Nina Elgo, Connecticut Superior Court Judge; Dr. William A. Howe, Connecticut State Dept. of Education; Ms. Theanvy Kuoch, Executive Director of Khmer Health Advocates; Ms Angela Rola, Director of the Asian American Cultural Center University of Connecticut Storrs; and Ms. Lorie Valle-Yanez, VP and Chief Diversity of MassMutual. Their messages were thoughtful and intended to inspire our members to take on leadership roles.

The following day the training started with team building exercises, venture/chapter development, financial review, a WomenInNAAAP (WIN) program overview, a keynote with Gerry Fernandez, President MFHA, and discussions on corporate relations and PR/Marketing.  In addition, Dr. Vu Pham of Spectrum Knowledge as well as a Sr. advisor to NAAAP  lead us through a self-branding exercise teaching us the importance of  creating a distinct image.

On the last day, we sat through the National Board Meeting discussing the upcoming 2010 NAAAP National Convention this August in San Francisco and other issues relating to running the organization. 

(l to r) Gil Gido; Brad Baldia, NAAAP President/CEO; Dr. Vu Pham, Spectrum Knowledge, LLC and NAAAP Sr. Advisor; Rebecca Deng, Seattle National Representative

After the 3 day retreat, I left more connected to the National Board and was reminded that we are part of a larger organization with networking and training opportunities.  My commitment with NAAAP Seattle is to align the chapter with the national plans and to leverage best practices from other chapters so that our members are equipped with resources for career success. That being said, if you are not already a member, I encourage you to join.

Regards,

Gil Gido

NAAAP Seattle

President

  

Additional Links:

• NAAAP Chapters http://www.naaap.org/chapters/ourchapters.aspx
• Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality alliance http://www.mfha.net/
• Spectrum Knowledge, LLC http://www.spectrumknowledge.com/
• SAVE THE DATE! The 2010 NAAAP Convention will be held August 12th-14th in San Francisco : http://www.naaapconvention.org/2010/

Your values

I happened to be at ACRS at the EDI Leadership Conference where Chee Chew, an engineering director at Google gave the opening keynote. At Google, Chee leads a team of 300+ engineers. I never met Chee, but he came out in a blue sweater and jeans and gym shoes. "So what," you say? Well read on as what he wears says something about his values.

He started off with showing us pictures and asking us which we related to most.

Picture series A

Blue sky bridge vs a Sunset (Blue)

Timex vs Rolex (Functionality)

Hooded sweatshirt vs Tuxedo (Functionality)

Grand Piano vs Electronic Piano (Maintenance)

Washington DC vs Rome (New adventurous places)

Key: Chee's picks (Chee's Values)

I picked the sunset, rolex, hooded sweatshirt, grand piano, and Washington dc. I am sure other folks picked something else. As it relates to Chee, he chose the Blue sky, the timex , the hooded sweatshirt , the Electric piano , and then Rome .

He later described why he picked the pictures he chose, an indication of his values. He chose the Blue sky picture for blue; the timex for functionality; the hooded sweatshirt for functionality; the Electric piano for its easy maintenance, and then Rome for his love of adventurous places.

He then showed us another picture series and asked us to pick the pictures he would choose based on his given values. Which ones do you think he picked?

Picture series B

Red Acura vs Blue Honda (Blue)

ChoiceDek Recycled vs Wood Deck (Maintenance)

Knife vs utility knife (Functionality)

Gym Shoe vs Dress Shoe (Functionality)

Africa vs Seattle (New adventurous places)

Key: Chee's picks (Chee's Values)

I admit, I struggled a bit as some of my values got in the way. Knowing his values, it was a bit easier for me to pick the pictures that would he would pick.

Chee then dialogued about meetings he attended for his group and watched the decision making process. In the earlier part of his career as he grew into management roles, he admitted that he was more hands on yet the bigger his team got, this management style didn't work for his worklife balance as he spent a lot of time fixing issues and he had to be in the room to make decisions.  He realized that this process didn't scale as his team globally grew. He had to state his values to his team so that they could speak to what Chee would decide if he wasn't there.  (The exercise above demonstrates this.)

The lesson to be learned with Chee is to be open about your values and to be self aware of your management style meaning are you hands on or are you consistently sharing your values to help your team make decisions?

Regards,

Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Additional Links:

○ Google, Inc.: http://www.google.com/

○ Executive Development Institute: http://www.ediorg.org/

○ Asian Counseling and Referral Service: http://www.acrs.org/

○ Authentic Leadership by Bill George: http://bit.ly/ddNOmG

Women In NAAAP (WIN)

We make leaders! The National Association of Asian-American Professionals (NAAAP)-Seattle is a provider of leadership opportunities for Asian-americans living in and around Seattle. And I am very privileged to be working with outstanding leaders on the NAAAP Seattle Board of Directors. Today, I want to focus on women and their contributions to our community and to share about an exciting new program NAAAP has addressing women's issues women experience in their journey into leadership roles.

Nine women, leaders in their own right, sit on the 2010 board with new and creative ideas. Just to name a few, Jen Phan, VP or operations, and Marian Liu, VP of external affairs lead me through discussion on the challenges and opportunities within the organization. It's an opportunity to get feedback and a different perspective. So far, my interactions with them test my own leadership abilities. Through them, I'm growing and stretching myself.

With that I want to share about the Women in NAAAP Program. This a national program launched as a pilot program at last year's NAAAP Convention in Denver. It's mission is to:

• Strengthen members in NAAAP through specific leadership programming addressing stereotypes, strengths/weaknesses and a holistic perspective of oneself from work/career to friends, co-workers, family and community.
• Stress the importance of work-life balance and one's personal journey in life from the perspective of being a woman and an Asian American woman in society today.
• Create a plan to help women accomplish their goals and objectives.
• Build competencies and skills that will carry women beyond their current conditions and into a more productive, efficient, and satisfying tomorrow.
• Support the Asian Pacific women leaders of tomorrow.

NAAAP Seattle is playing a major role in the development of this program and as it is still in it's infancy it will have many opportunities to grow and develop. I am excited about this program that I am playing a personal role by sitting on the committee that develops this program. Whether you're an Asian-american man or woman, this is an opportuntiy for us to show the diversity of our community. For more information, please visit the WomenInNAAAP (WIN) website at http://www.naaap.org/programs/WomenInNAAAP.aspx.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Additional links:

• Seattle's women in leadership luncheon series - Women of color empowered - http://womenofcolorempowered.com/
• About Microsoft Diversity - http://www.Micrsoft.com/about/diversity/default.mspx
• About American Family Diversity - http://www.amfam.com/about-us/diversity/in-the-community.asp